Marking device



June 13, 1944. I A C, NYSTROM 2,351,224

MARKING DEVICE Filed April 5, 1941 /NVE/VTOR .4.6. NYSTROM er s gmmm b A NOR/V57 another.

Patented June 13, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MARKING DEVICE Axel C. .Nystrom, Rutherford, N. J., assigner to Western Electric Company, Incorporated,` New York, TN. Y., la, corporation of New York .Application April 5, 1941, Serial No. 386,959

2 Claims. (Cl. 101-376) l This invention relates tomarkin-g devices, and

.more particularly to devices to make distinguishing marks on ribbon, strands and the like.

In various electrical arts, particularly in the communication arts, where cables formed 'of a plurality of insulated conductors are used, the coverings or insulations on the conductors are of various colors to distinguish them vone from 'I'he greater the number of conductors in such cables the greater will be the number of colori` combinations required, and it has been found advantageous to-employ color combinations which maybe widely modified to indefinite numbers yet readily distinguishable from each other.

An object of the invention is to provide a marking device which is highly eiiicient in forming variable distinguishing marks `on material.

With this and other objects in view, the vinvention comprises spaced marking units with the marking elements carried thereby and Arotated relative to an advancing material "to form marks of selected colors on the material, 4variations being made possible to vary the relative spacing of `the marks on the material and vthe relative number of marks made on the material by each unit in given distances.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevational 4view ofthe device, portions thereof being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the device;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional `View taken substantially along -the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 and 7 are fragmentary views illustrating different color combinations on electrical conductors.

Attention is now directed to the drawing illustrating the device, which has a main frame indicated generally at I0 with side walls II and I2 secured at spaced positions by end members I3 and I4, 'while the entire frame is Supported by legs I5. Between the walls Il and I2 are disposed two pairs or sets of marking units indicated generally at I6 and Il. These units consistgenerally of marking wheels 2l, 22, 23 and 24 having their respective supply rolls v25, 26, 2l and 28. The units including the marking wheels and supother, and a description of-one will apply to them In each unit there is a supporting frame 30 rectangular in general contour and of a size to .be positioned between the side walls I I and I2 of the main frame. At la desired position in the frame 3'0 a Huid tank 3i is disposed adjacent its .supply roll. The supply tank 3| is formedto receive a iiuid 32 so that during rotation of lthe roll associated therewith the fluid will be supplied to the outer surface of the roll. 4The rolls -25 to v28 inclusive are mounted upon their re- `spective `shafts 34, the ends of which are rotatably supported in eccentric bearings 35, Fig. V5. The bearings 35 `in turn are supported by apertured members 36 carried by the supporting frame 30. A set screw 3l in the apertured member 36 is conditioned to hold its respective eccentric 4bearing 35 in any desired adjusted position. Eachfend of the shaft 34 is provided with Vsuch a bearing and supporting structure and when adjustments are to be made like adjustments are made to each bearing. These adjustments maybe made through the aid o'f a suitable tool to engage apertures 38 in a iianged portion 39 of the bearing. Rotation of the bearings will ynot only vary the positions of the rolls laterally toward or away from their respective marking wheels, but will also vary their positions vertically relative to the iiuid 32.

Attention is now directed to the marking wheels, particularly `to the illustrations thereof in Figs. 3 and 4. Each wheel has a shaft 40 rotatably supported by `its respective supporting frame 30 and having a hollow threaded adjusting member 4I mounted thereon. As illustrated in Fig. 3 the marking wheel shown inthe upper .portionof this ligure consists of head members Vl2 and 43, the -former being mounted upon the shaft 40 and the latter upon the threaded memportions of the elements are U-shaped in crosssection, as illustrated in Fig. 4 and indicated 'at 49, and are formed to partially receive and retain elongate marker shoes 50. It will Vbe observed by viewing Fig. 3 ,that the marker shoes. with the U-shaped portions 49 are of suilicient `ply rolls are identical in structure one with the Alength to extend over the outer peripheries of 40 simultaneously, or be moved to the right to. move the elements outwardly simultaneously.'

Regardless of the adjustments' of the cam 52,.v the outer surfaces of the marker shoes 58 are equal distances from the axisof rotation-of thek marker wheel. A plurality of pins 55 is disposed in the cam and projects outwardly therefrom adjacent the elements to serve as means to hold'the cam against rotation relative to theelements.

Suitable means such as set screws 51 and 58 dis-l posed in threaded apertures of the head members 42 and 43, respectively, serve to secure these members to the shaftA; and the adjustable threaded member 4|.

Attention is now directed tothe pairs of units illustrated in Fig. 1. The pair of units I6 is removably held in definite positions in the main frame I8 by screws 60, the shafts 48 extending v through notches r recesses 6| in the main frame.. The pair of units I1 is similarly support- Y ed by the main frame lll.v through the aid of screws 63, but these screws pass through elongate apertures 64 in the side walls and |2 of 4the vmain frame to .permit longitudinal adjust- .ment of theunits l1 relative to the units I6.

The driving means for these units includes a motor 1 8, operatively connected as at 1| to a reduction gear unit 12 which drives a shaft 13 having asprocket 14vmounted thereon.V The sprocket 1,4is connected to a sprocket 15 upon the shaft 48 of the lower unit |6 through the aid of a vchain 16. .A gear 11 is also mounted upon this .shaft 48 and `interengages a similar gear 18 mounted upon the shaft 4U of the upper unit I6. -Similar gears 19 and 88 are respectively mounted upon the shafts 40 of the lower and upper unit |1.

idler gear 8| is adjustably supported to 0peratively connectv the gear 11Y with the gear 19.

The Asupporting means for the gear 8| consists of the shaft 82 supported by an arm 83, the upper lend of which is provided with an elongate 7aperture 84 associated with a securing means 85 .in the form of a nut and washers threadedly supgported by an embossed portion 86, Fig. 2, of the Wall l2. i

In the present embodiment a capstan 90 is sup- -ported -by the end of the shaft V13 opposite the sprocket 14 to aid in the advancement of material, for example, insulated electrical conductors 9|, throughv the device.' Other means (not shown) may be employed to further advance the :material through the device, or if desired the mo- ,tor 10 and the capstan 90 may be disposedat the 'opposite end of the device and serve to pull the material therethrough.

. During the .operation of the device the motor 18, is energized, driving the sprocket through the .connection 1|, thevunit 12, the shaft 13, sprocket 14 and chain 16. The rotation'of the fsprocket15 causes rotationof the shaft 40, of the! lower unit I8, clockwise, -causing counterclockwise rotation of the shaft 40 of theA upper unit' I6. v- Through theaid'ofthe idler gearBI; the gear 19-1isrotated clockwise'at the same speed as the sprocket 151, and through 'the interconnection 75 of the gears 19 and 80 the latter will be rotated counterclockwise at the same speed as the gear 18. This constitutes the driving means for the marking wheels, the respective marking wheels traveling at the same speeds as their gears. It will be apparent, therefore, that the marking wheels of the units I6 are rotated in synchronism one with the other so that the marker shoes will engage the strands or conductors simultaneously at opposing positions to form marks around the entire circumference of the strands. This is made possible due to the flexible nature of the marker shoes, each being pressed toward the strands, the Vmeeting pairs of marker shoes par- *tially surrounding the strands at each meeting position. The radial positions of the marker shoes determine the spaces between each mark ,on' each strand made by the marking wheels of these units. The color depends upon the color of the fluid disposed in the respective tanks of the associated'supply rolls. The exible nature of themarker-shoes serves still another purpose, that being to cause rotation of their respective supply rolls, this eliminating the necessity of other means to rotate the rolls to bring fresh supplies of fluid on the surfaces thereof to the marker shoes.

Ii' desired the colorsv ofthe fluids in all of the tanks 3| may be the Vsame if it is desirable to makespaced `markings Vof like colors throughout the lengths of the strands. In this manner one group of color combinations may be formed, for example, on a conductor with a white insulating cover spaced lmarkings of other colorsmay be made by applying the selected other color by both sets of units v I6 and al1. Still other color combinations may be formed by using the units I6 to apply one color and the units |1 to apply another color. For example, if these colors should be respectively blue and red and applied to conductors having `white insulated coverings thereon. Ythe resultant strands would have spaced red and blue marks Awith intermediate uncolored white portions.'` With this same color combination another variation may be had by adjusting the units |1 relative to the units I6 so that the markings of one unit Will be adjacent the markings of the other unit, as illustrated in Fig. 7, rather 'than spaced therefrom as previously described and yas illustrated in Fig. l6. A

Other adjustments of the device are made possible through the adjusting cams 52y to vary the positions of the elements 48, and to vary the positions of the rolls other adjustments may be made through the eccentric bearings35.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is merely illustrative and may be modified and departed from in many ways without departing from the spirit andv scope of the invention as pointed out in and limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A marking device comprising a Wheel rotatable in a direction relative to an advancingA material and including spaced heads with opposing sets of radial grooves therein, marking elements, to make distinguishing marks on the material, disposed with their ends in their respective sets of ,grooves and having slots therein extending diagonally with respect to the axis .of the heads, and a'supporting element having portions extending into the slots and movable relative thereto to move the marking elements in their grooves Atoward and away from the axis of the wheel, and 'means to move thesupporting element.

Y -2. A marking device comprising a Wheel rotatable in a direction relative to an advancing material and including spaced heads with opposing sets of radial grooves therein, marking elements, having resilient marking portions to make distinguishing marks on the material, disposed with 5 ative to the axis of the wheel, and a cone-shaped cam having portions receivable in the slots mounted for movement relative to the elements to move them in their sets of grooves toward and away from the said axis, and means to move the cam.

AXEL C. NYSTROM. 

